The Eccentric Family Episode 4

Recap: In the skies above Kyoto, the Ebisugawas pick a fight with the Shimogamo with Benten in full attendance. Will their hot headedness get Yasaburo thrown in a hot-pot?

Once again, the art and animation in this show blows me away. The night-fight in the sky was a real visual treat, and a great bit of action for a story that is largely about character drama. You can tell a lot of care has been put into making this anime a success, and it still shows.

The fireworks fight was a good spectacle, but in the end it was really just the dressing to a lesson in traditional japanese hospitality. Akadama, the old fart he is, is stuck in his ways. He can’t even accept an invitation unless its given to him again on the day of. Once he became a part of the celebration party, the only thing he would ever talk about was his rights as a guest, even in the end as he takes his gift of liquor instead of giving it to help his host.

That really seems to be a major theme of the show in general. Yasaburo is a prime example of someone challenging his family’s social norms. While he is still respectful to his elders, he cares little for the traditions of Tanuki society and loves challenging them, even at his own family’s dishonor. We know little about what it means to be Nise-emon, other than being a leader amongst the Tanuki, but it looks like his brashness in fighting the Ebisugawas will have big implications for his brother.

Benten was just the perfect troll this episode. You can tell she wanted Yasaburo to get in trouble in the first place, giving him the tearoom was just the formality needed to do that. It has been a long time since a romantic interest has been this teasing and devious to a main character, and I love it. Next episode, it seems we’ll finally get to learn more about the mysterious Friday Fellows and why they find the need to eat sentient creatures. What can Yasaburo do to avoid the fate of his father?